![]() Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, has conducted numerous trials comparing PTSD interventions delivered in person versus by videoconference, finding that the two methods are equally effective in the majority of cases (Turgoose, D., et al., Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, Vol. ![]() Psychologists have also studied a range of populations to determine whether telehealth works, who it best serves and how to deliver it most effectively-with promising results. 6, 2013), showing that the modality can be effective and increase access to care. 4, 2012) and a range of age groups and conditions (Hilty, D.M., et al., Telemedicine and e-Health, Vol. Since then, psychiatry research has tested remote care among veterans (Godleski, L., et al., Psychiatric Services, Vol. It grew out of a need to treat hard-to-reach populations, for instance when a forensic psychologist assessed a person in jail and referred them to a geographically distant provider for specialized care. Research on telepsychology-which includes care delivered via phone, video or both-began around 1960. ![]() “But while we’ve spent a lot of time looking at what works, we got completely caught off guard in terms of disseminating and implementing telehealth on a large scale.” Research to date “There’s a lot of good that can come from this sudden uptake of telehealth,” says Tim Heckman, PhD, senior associate dean for research and faculty affairs at the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health, who has studied telehealth for decades. More important, the attempt to rapidly roll out remote care has exposed the field’s lack of readiness to broadly transition to the new modality. But experts say the COVID-19 crisis has revealed areas where the literature can be strengthened. Psychologists-along with psychiatrists, social workers and others-have built a substantial literature base on telehealth interventions that work for a variety of problems and populations. “For patients who have never before sought care from a therapist due to various barriers -including concern about being seen at a physical clinic-the option to obtain services online can be a port of entry into mental health care,” she says.Īnd research to date shows mental health care delivered remotely-also known as telepsychology or teletherapy-is effective. It can also help address stigma for patients seeking psychological services for the first time, says Dhara Meghani, PhD, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of San Francisco. “The whole paradigm of sitting in a room with a clinician and receiving an intervention in a 45-minute session has essentially been flipped on its head.”Įven in non-pandemic times, delivering care remotely allows mental health providers to reach more people, including those who are geographically isolated or lack access to child care or transportation. “The pandemic has accelerated the shift toward telehealth,” says clinical psychologist Adam Haim, PhD, who heads the Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). To facilitate that care, Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance companies, and state and federal regulatory agencies temporarily relaxed rules on telehealth. population under stay-at-home orders this spring, telepsychology quickly became the sole option for many Americans in need of mental health care.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |